What Happens Next?
by sashar360
Summary: Two years after the Giant War, Octavian reads a disturbing prophecy that will bring a girl who's been underestimated her whole life, a boy living in the shadow of his half-brother, and a mysterious daughter of Trivia together to face down a girl with revenge in mind. T because of freaking swords and the violence of war.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Jason Grace_

Octavian called Reyna and I to Dad's temple. We were just discussing opening a cavalry section to the legion. When we protested that we were busy, Octavian insisted he had found a disturbing prophecy.

He tore open a Beanie Baby horse and spread the stuffing on the altar. He read the fluff (I've peeked over his shoulder hundreds of times, and I still can't see a word in the cotton.)

"_Child who lost her home to fire,_

_Twentieth Legion is her sire,_

_Be the one to carve the path,_

_Lest all is lost to the spider's wrath,_

_Battle well, or see death untold,_

_The hero must die to slake the cold,_

_Storm and wheat must form the chain,_

_Lest your troubles be in vain."_ Octavian muttered. He looked up from the fluff. "Oh, my." Reyna and I frowned. "Storm and wheat. Jason, could that mean you?"

"I don't know." I crossed my arms. "But I'm guessing that it's a child of Jupiter."

"What's troubling me is the bit about the Twentieth Legion." Reyna's eyebrows knitted together. "The Twentieth Legion…they haven't been heard from for hundreds of years."

Octavian nodded. "Yes. I believe that a descendant of a legionnaire could be coming to camp soon." He frowned. "I will look into it. Go back to your regular activities."

**Review, please? Flames accepted and embraced.**


	2. Fun with Dracanae

**I**

_Diana Silvers_

I woke up standing up, like I had been sleepwalking. When I opened my eyes, I realized I was in the middle of the ocean, five feet up. My arms were over my head, and both were chained to the rock I was standing on. The sea spread out from the base of the rock, gray and smooth as glass. I wriggled, trying to get out of the chains. Then I heard a thud. My head whipped to the side to see a boy of about thirteen on the ledge beside me. He had a mop of thick black, blue eyes, and Roman features. He was wearing a deep purple T-shirt and jeans.

"Uh, hi," I grinned. "I'm in a bit of a jam, here. Could you give me a hand?" I wiggled my wrists to demonstrate.

He smiled. "Sure," He drew a golden Roman _gladius_ from a scabbard I hadn't noticed. Don't ask me how I knew what it was. I'll tell you later. He swung it at the chains. Sparks sprung from the metal, but the chains were as strong as ever.

Then a roar split the early morning. Our heads whipped in unison to see a V on the waves about a hundred yards out. A monstrous head popped out of the water. It looked like someone had taken a baked potato, mutated it, and dragged it through mud. The boy muttered something under his breath. "Ketos." He saw something on the ground in front of me and frowned. "What's a _pilum_ doing here?"

I looked down at the spear at my feet. I sighed in relief, glancing back at the monster. Years of training with my uncle had just paid off. "Get me free, and I can stop the thing."

He started sawing at the chains. It was about fifty yards away. "Hurry!" I snapped.

"Got it!" I bent over and grabbed the _pilum,_ taking stance, the cuffs still on my wrists. I took aim at the beast, now thirty yards away. I threw the _pilum_, aiming for its eye. It squealed as the spearhead pierced the delicate tissues. I cursed. "I don't have another one."

It was now ten yards away. The boy leaped off the rock and landed on the serpent's back. He crawled to its brow, trying to get its eye. When he stabbed it, the monster squealed, flailed around, and turned into a pile of seaweed. By this time, the boy was halfway on the rock.

He climbed off the pile and held out his hand. "Hey. I'm Nick."

"I'm Diana," I shook his hand. I looked down and realized I was in blue fuzzy pajama pants and a turquoise tank top. "Sorry, I just woke up trapped. Where are we, exactly?"

"We're pretty close to Alcatraz Island," He started sawing at the cuffs on my wrists. "You from around here?"

I sighed in relief. "Yeah. I live on 731 Lombard Avenue in San Francisco. Do me a favor and take me to my house, would you? I want to get changed," I gestured at my blue pajamas.

Nick paled. "Uh, Diana, I don't know how to tell you this," he acted like he had just destroyed my Coliseum model. "but…just look."

He climbed to the top of the rock. I joined him. Let me tell you, one look at the San Francisco skyline and I knew my life wouldn't–_couldn't_ be the same again. I put my hand over my mouth, fighting the sobs shaking my body, tears pouring down my face. I wailed, a sound so full of sorrow that Nick winced.

I ran to the water and dove in, swimming to the shore. I heard Nick shouting my name. I didn't miss a beat. I sprinted up the sand dripping wet to Lombard Avenue. I fell to my knees in front of my house, burning…

I flew up to a fire fighter. "Hey, are the people in the house okay?"

"We're trying to get them out, but don't get your hopes up."

I started sprinting across my lawn, ready to dive in and save my family, when someone tackled me from behind. Nick started dragging me away from the fire. I screamed and fought, but he kept dragging me away from the inferno, burning everything I cared about.

Nick took me to Denny's to get me food. The employees gave me odd looks in my pajamas, my tear streaks, and my messy wet hair, but hey, they'd probably seen weirder things, living in San Francisco. I know I had. I inhaled my food as Nick told me about Camp Jupiter.

I laughed as he told the story of a faun with a rainbow Afro who stalked him, begging him for change. He told me about Terminus, the OCD god of borders who screamed at you if your hair was a centimeter too long.

I told him about myself. My uncle and father are obsessed with ancient Rome. They call themselves the Twentieth Legion, and my uncle trained me to use the _gladius_, the _pilum_, and the _spatha_. My father taught me Roman history and myths. I can also speak fluent Latin.

Nick raised his eyebrows. "So, you mean to tell me that you are a part of the so-called Twentieth Legion?"

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Dad even named me after the goddess of the hunt."

"What if I told you all that was real?" My fork hung halfway between my mouth and my plate. Did he mean…the gods? Like, Jupiter and Venus and Apollo?

I frowned. "You mean, Roman mythology? The whole thing?"

"Yep. I'm a demigod son of Jupiter. I'm not sure about your lineage, but you saw the serpent, right?"

Um…yeah. Hard to not see the serpent. I scoffed. "What serpent? I didn't see a serpent. I was just throwing random spears around." I rolled my eyes. "Of course I saw the serpent. It was Ketos, wasn't it?"

Nick grinned. "You can see through the Mist. That means that you're descended from a god. I don't know who, exactly, but–"

"Hold it. Could I be…a demigod?" I held my breath. I so wanted Mom to be a goddess. Okay, I can't think of any goddesses who would be cool moms, besides Minerva, or maybe Bellona, but still.

Nick shrugged. "Maybe. The fact that you were kidnapped and attacked by a sea monster suggests so. You could be a child of a minor goddess, like, say, Juventas. On the other hand, you could be the child of a major goddess, like Minerva. Anyway, we'd best be going. I'll take you to Camp Jupiter."

Two armored kids were guarding the entrance. We were at the Caldecott Tunnel. Between the two lanes of traffic, there was the entrance.

One guard was much larger than the other. They both stood in Roman armor, guarding the entrance. Their _pilum_ were crossed protectively over the iron door. When we walked up, the smaller guard waved. "Hi, Nick! Who's the pretty girl?"

"Hi, Erin." Nick grinned.

The larger one growled, "Password."

Nick huffed. "Robbie, no one remembers the password."

Robbie grinned. "Fair enough. Let's see your tattoo," Nick rolled up his left sleeve.

I guess I should explain the tattoo.

You see, when you've been part of the Twelfth Legion for a year, or when you complete an act of valor, you're a full member. You're branded on your left shoulder. This is where it gets complicated.

The top is the symbol of your legacy, or what god you're descended from. Underneath are the letters SPQR, the motto of Rome. It stands for_ Senatus Populusque Romanus, _or the Senate and People of Rome. Underneath is a number of lines. Every year you're a member, you get another line. For example, Nick's symbol is the eagle of Jupiter. Below that is SPQR. Since he's been there for six years, he has six lines.

When Robbie saw his tattoo, he growled, "Fine. But what about her?" He nodded at me.

Nick frowned. "Tell him your full name."

I instinctively set my shoulders back. "Diana Silvers."

Nick turned back to Robbie and Erin, and he explained how Nick had met me. Erin and Robbie exchanged glances. "Nick, there's a problem," Erin grimaced. "Octavian just read an augury. I was there when it happened. He looked at the cotton, and then he got all stony faced. Then he called down an eagle to deliver a message: no new members, no matter how dire their situation, will be admitted into Camp Jupiter, unless they're the child of the prophecy." She gazed at me. "I'm sorry."

I gasped. The air turned to ozone as nick growled, "No. You have to let her in. She's in the prophecy!"

I straightened. "What? What prophecy?"

Robbie snapped. "That's right! You said that your house on Lombard Avenue burned down, right? Well, there's a line about that! _Child who lost her home to fire,_ that was it! Octavian has to let her in!"

Ouch. I didn't hear anything past 'burned down'. The pain hit me in the gut like a brick: hard enough to make me double over in pain and cry.

But I didn't.

The little girl smiled. "Nick, go ask him!" She held the door open.

"Thanks." Nick took a deep breath and ran down the tunnel.

Five minutes later, he burst back out. "He said yes. Come on."

Erin waved as we plunged into the tunnel. "See you at muster!"

"Muster?" I panted.

"Meeting before dinner."

The corridor basically changed from a standard maintenance tunnel to a place you might find in a Roman tomb. Reed torches, mosaic tiles depicting prophecies…wait! I skidded to a halt at one prophecy. It was on the wall in red tiles on a blue background in Latin. I noticed two Latin words: home and fire. I remembered the line Robbie mentioned: _child who lost her home to fire._ My Latin-trained eyes translated the words easily.

_Child who lost her home to fire,_

_Twentieth Legion is her sire,_

_Be the one to carve the path,_

_Lest all is lost to the spider's wrath,_

_Battle well, or see death untold,_

_The hero must die to slake the cold,_

_Storm and wheat must be the chain,_

_Lest your troubles be in vain._

I glared at Nick. "Why didn't you tell me?!" I snapped. "When you learned that my house burned down and my family's the 'Twentieth Legion,' why didn't you tell me?"

Nick grimaced. "I'm sorry! Octavian predicted that you could be found on that rock, and he sent me, and–"

He didn't get far before I punched him and stormed past. "Spare me!" I snapped.

Nick followed behind, trying to apologize. He gave up after a few minutes.

I grinned to myself. Suddenly, we burst into sunlight. When my eyes adjusted, I saw a scene unlike anything else I had ever seen before.

A powerful river flowed around the place. Even though it was stark winter, the grass on the far riverbank was an eye-bruising green. There was a bustling city and a hill with–temples? in the eastern half. Situated in the western half was some type of military base. Nick gestured broadly to the scene. "Welcome–to Camp Jupiter."

I nodded. I was so in awe, I didn't notice that Nick had pulled me across the river.

A piercing scream ripped the air. I whirled to see Erin running past, as a strange monster burst out of the river.

She was, from the waist up, a normal woman. Well, she had scaly green skin, so she looked like a sick person who had serious skin issues. She had blue armor and a trident in her hand. From the waist down, where her legs should have been, she had two snake trunks. She forgot Erin and whirled to face me. "S-s-o, you're Miss-s-s Diana S-s-silver-s-s. It's-s-s a pleas-s-sure to meet you." She hissed.

She lunged at me with the trident.

Okay, the next part is weird. I suddenly felt…powerful. Like…like I could do anything. Electric tingles filled my body, but they gathered in my hands. I held out a hand and shouted a word that popped into my head. "_Ictus_!" The trident came at my neck…

…and curved over my right shoulder. She tried punching me, but it just veered to my left. I stood there, as she tried hitting me, but every blow missed.

I felt that powerful feeling ebb away. The trident came at my face. _I'm a goner_ ran through my head when something erupted from her neck. A golden blade. She gasped and crumbled into ash.

Nick was standing there, holding his gladius out, breathing heavily. Left in the pile of ash was the armor. I noticed that a crowd had gathered, including a young man with blond hair and blue eyes and a young woman with long black hair in purple capes and togas. The praetors.

Erin gazed at me, blue eyes wide. "Um, Diana? That's yours. The armor. You killed it."

I shook my head, feeling strangely calm. "Nick dealt the final blow," It was tradition that the killer gets the spoils.

Nick smiled. "Diana, I wouldn't have been able to kill that _dracanae_ if you hadn't used a spell."

"A spell?" I frowned.

"Sure. _Ictus_? That means _miss_. It didn't hit you because you used a spell on it. Besides," He waved a hand dismissively at the armor. "I couldn't wear it anyway. It'd be like wearing a skirt to battle. It's designed for a girl." The crowd rippled assent.

I picked it up and strapped it on. It was like a shirt, really, but it fit me perfectly. That powerful feeling came back. Suddenly, I felt a soft red glow above me. I looked up. A red hologram of two crossed torches floated over my head. Everyone knelt. The male praetor stepped forward. "_Ave_, Diana Silvers, daughter of Trivia, goddess of magic."


	3. Octavian the Teddy Slayer

**Hm...many**** kind comments...let's hear some!**

**IamAnnabethDaughterofAthena-Thank you so much!  
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**I am Hazel Daughter of Pluto-It's about OCs. Sorry about the misinterpretation, and thank you!  
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**Too lazy to log in-That was just an introduction. But thank you for reviewing!  
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**Guest-Do you mean the 20th legion? It's been virtually wiped out except for one family (Diana's), who refused to send their children to camp, because of what you are about to read.  
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**Thank you! Btw, I don't own the PJO series, *sniff* but I do own Diana, Nick, Erin, Robbie, and Janet.  
**

**II**

_Diana Silvers_

"Um…daughter of…Trivia?" I felt like I had just been given a Nobel. I broke into a grin.

One girl stepped forward. She was a tall fifteen-year-old girl with black hair swung into a bun and blue eyes with flecks of gold. She made the purple Camp Jupiter shirt and jeans look formal. She was stern and academic, like an 1800s schoolteacher.

"Don't be happy, girl," She snapped, irritated. "Being a daughter of Trivia is a hard path. It will ultimately lead you to death."

The male praetor placed a calming hand on her shoulder, trying to placate her anger. "Janet, calm."

She whirled to face him. "_Calm?!_ My_ father_ was killed in a flood _I_ caused, and you're telling me to be _calm?!_"

I somehow doubted that anyone else would talk to a praetor like that. She spun on her her heel and marched away.

The silence was so awkward that I doubted a fat penguin could break the ice. So it was the female praetor who broke the silence. "Yes. Erin, take Diana to the temple of Jupiter to verify her right to join the legion."

Erin nodded and took me by the arm. "Come on." She didn't sound seven. She sounded a million years old. When we were out of earshot, Erin grinned and started skipping to the hill with the temples.

I frowned. "Um…Erin, is it?"

She stopped skipping, her blond hair still bouncing. "Yes, it is."

I knew this would sound harsh, but I had to know. "Um, why are you in the legion? You're awfully young."

She scowled. "Everyone thinks I'm a baby. Lupa said I could join, so why does everyone say I can't?"

"Lupa?" I gasped. "You don't mean the wolf, the one who nursed Romulus and Remus?"

Erin smiled. "Yes, I do. You see, I ran away from home. Daddy was a farmer, but he beat me when I didn't do good enough," Her smile dropped from her lips. "I ran away. I was in the woods, and I saw a lady. She had green and gold clothes, and she said, 'You can do it, Erin. Find Lupa. You can do it,'" She wiped a tear from her cheek. "It was Ceres, my mother. She disappeared. I found Lupa, and she said, 'You are very resourceful to have survived so long.' She trained me and sent me south. And everyone treats me like I'm two. I'm eight."

I was in shock. I would have never imagined this young girl having such a dark past. "You act older." I commented.

Her smile made the overcast day seem brighter. "Thank you."

We stopped. The temples were arranged in a U. Two were at the top, and the others were in two rows next to it. I saw the one on the end. It was a small altar, really. It was painted white, and there was a small bowl. In it sat three ham sandwiches. I walked up to it. On the top the word 'Trivia' was carved.

Erin pressed something into my hand. An apple. I whispered, "Thank you." I placed the apple in the bowl. _Uh, mom,_ I thought, _Thanks for_..._bringing me here. I'm sorry about all the mean things I thought about you for not being around._

"Come on." Erin grabbed my hand and pulled me to our destination.

The temple of Jupiter was flat-out impressive. Imagine the Parthenon. Got it? Now imagine it round. It had a statue of Jupiter in the back. On the floor were prophecies in Latin. I found the one that I was part of, the one about the fire and the Legion.

"We call it the Prophecy of the Mage," A voice boomed through the temple.

I whirled. A blond skinny kid in a toga strode across the floor to meet me. "I am Octavian, the augur of the Twelfth Legion."

I frowned. "I'm Diana."

Erin coughed. "Octavian, she's–"

"The girl mentioned in the prophecy," He nodded. He looked me up and down, and I realized I was still in my PJs. My hair was probably a rat's nest. "You wish to join the legion?"

I nodded. "Sure, why not?"

Octavian laughed. "Yes, now come with me," We followed him to the feet of the statue. He took a knife and a teddy bear from a duffel bag he had been carrying. He sliced the bear open and scattered the stuffing at the feet of the statue. He found some meaning in the cotton polyester, apparently. He stood up a bit straighter. "Congratulations, Diana Silvers, you are part of the Twelfth Legion."

"Thanks, Octavian." Erin chirped.

He waved Erin away like she was some fly. "Miss Silvers, would you mind staying?"

_Yes, I mind,_ I thought. "No."

Erin grimaced and ran like a Rottweiler was on her heels. "Now, Miss Silvers, I was reading the entrails maybe two hours ago, which said, 'Beware the new arrival,' This is why I closed the camp, but when young Nicholas told me that you were the girl of the prophecy, I had to let you in.

"But be warned. This camp is not a playground. You will be trained hard." It sounded kind, but he spat the words out.

I scoffed. "Remember that I'm from the 'Twentieth Legion.' I have plenty of training."

Octavian's grin made me shudder. "Diana, do you know the history of your former legion?"

I growled. "It's a clever nickname my dad and uncle made for my family, not my legion."

He waved a hand. "Your father's ancestors were from the real legion, I assure you. Now, they were the sworn enemies of the Twelfth. Rumor has it," He leaned in, "that the praetors of the Twentieth poisoned those of the Twelfth. Luckily, only the praetors and I know this. If word got out, you would be ruined." His face contorted in mock concern. The message was clear: _Support me or I tell everyone. _"Do you understand?" He smiled like I was some friend of his.

I raised my eyebrows. "Yep. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to catch up with Erin." I jogged out of the temple.

When I caught up with Erin, I was red-faced with anger. Erin put a hand on my arm. "They can't see you like this."

I nodded and sat down on a patch of grass. She sat down beside me. After a few minutes, I asked, "Who lives in the city?"

She sighed. "Veterans of the legion. They retire and raise a family in the city. They can go to a university, stuff like that." She stood up. "Let's go."

"I'm with you."

**Thank you for reading! If you review, I will give you the power to rule the world! (P.S. I was just kidding, but I will give you a virtual hug!)**


	4. My Mom, Legionnaire?

**III**

_Nick Calliope_

I walked into the barracks for the Fifth. I went over to my bunk and took a picture off the wall. It was me when I was seven. I was caught mid-laugh, holding hands with my mom. It was embarrassing, but it was my favorite photo.

I sat on the bunk. "Mom, what am I going to do?"

"Well, you should figure it out," I jumped. Jason walked in the room. He had changed from his toga into the usual shirt and jeans. "The prophecy's talking about you, you know."

"Not necessarily," I stood up. "You're a son of Jupiter too."

Jason grinned. "Nah, I'm not going. I've got to stay. There's a problem we have to solve."

"What is it?"

He grimaced. "Well, there's an army coming. It's being led by…Arachne."

I gulped. "No."

"Yes," Jason nodded. "Keep it a secret. Tell no one. Understood?"

"Sure," I agreed.

"Thanks," He walked out. "By the way, you're late to training, but I'll cover for you. You need a minute."

I decided that training was good for me. "Yes, it would,"

I whipped around. A ghostly Lar was floating in front of me. "Hey, Augustus."

"You do realize that your mother was a member of the legion, right?" Augustus was a young man who had died fighting in the Punic wars.

This statement shocked me. Mom was in the Twelfth? That meant that she was descended from a god.

"Have you ever seen your mother in a short-sleeved shirt?" Augustus asked. I shook my head. Even in the summer, she wore long sleeves. "It's to hide her tattoo. Now, _she_ was a fighter."

"Tell me more later," I ran to training.

My sparring partner, Terra Lynn, was creaming me, mainly because I was thinking about my mom, and not sword training.

After that was congregating Latin verbs. I whizzed through without blinking an eye. After that was digging ditches…I could go on.

Then it was muster. The horns blew, and I ran to my place. I was the next-to-last of the Fifth to get there. The last was Erin.

"Nicholas Calliope."

"Present."

"Erin Rye."

"Present."

Reyna stepped forward. Diana grimaced in nervousness. "Fellow legionnaires, this is Diana Silvers. She has proven herself a daughter of Trivia by defeating a dracanae with a spell. Octavian, is she worthy?"

Octavian stood tall. "I have read the entrails!" He made it sound like he had killed Hannibal instead of a Beanie Baby. "She is worthy of the Twelfth."

"Good." Jason turned to the cohorts. "Who will stand for her?" Several hands shot up in each cohort, including myself and Erin. Jason raised his eyebrows. "Diana, choose."

She pursed her lips in thought. "First through Fifth, right?" Reyna nodded.

Samuel from First shouted, "First is best, Fifth is worst."

I shouted, "Watch your mouth, Sam, or you'll need an iron lung!"

Diana grinned. "I choose the Fifth."

"Does the cohort approve?"

Everyone in the Fifth pounded their shield on the ground. Dakota shouted, "My cohort approves! Welcome to the Fifth, Diana."

Jason smiled as he handed Diana her _probatio_ tablet. "All right, then. Death-ball is tonight. _Senatus Populusque Romanus!"_

The rest of the legion repeated the cry. We marched to the dining pavilion. Well, _marched _isn't adequate. We all ran up to the pavilion like hooligans.

We dined on couches. The Fifth sat next to the kitchen. The invisible _aurae_, wind nymphs, served us whatever you wanted. I mentally ordered a cheeseburger and a Coke. An _aura_ plunked my food in front of me.

Erin, Diana, Frank, Hazel, and Dakota all sat at our table. Hazel ordered shrimp gumbo. Diana had a steak and a glass of apple juice. "So, welcome to the Fifth," Hazel smiled.

"Thanks," Diana grinned. Everyone liked Hazel. "We're not very popular, I take it."

Dakota burped, his teeth stained permanently pink. "Welcome to Diana, Fifth. Fifth, Diana, Who cares?" Suddenly, he shook all over, like he was having a seizure.

Frank grimaced. "Red Kool-Aid. Don't ask."

Diana scooted away from Dakota, who was banging his goblet on the table, singing some kind of drinking song. "I won't. Now, can someone tell me why he's allowed to have that stuff?"

Erin laughed. "Well, if you take it away, he'll go into withdrawal. If you don't like him like this, you don't want to see him in withdrawal."

I shuddered. "Anyway, death-ball is tonight. You ready?"

"What's death-ball?"

Hazel grinned. "Imagine paintball with acid and fire."

Diana got a strange light in her gold-flecked eyes. She held up a hand like she was holding a ball. She muttered, "_Acidum_," A floating glob of clear liquid suddenly appeared, floating over her hand. She took a piece of my cheeseburger and dropped into the liquid. It started fizzing, and the cheese dissolved. "Like that?"

Frank's jaw dropped. "Wow. Diana, it took a month for Janet to master that. It normally takes something like years."

"This coming from the guy who can turn into an elephant," I scoffed.

Diana closed her hand into a fist, and the liquid disappeared. "Am I some type of magician?"

Hazel's golden eyes softened in pity. "I guess. It's a hard path."

"I gathered," She brushed her brown hair behind her ear. "I just…I never wanted to have anything to do with Rome. My dad kind of forced Rome on me. I had to train with swords, spears…I thought that when I grew up, I could just forget it all. Now I'm a demigod. Rome will always be a part of me, whether I liked it or not."

Suddenly, someone put their hand on my shoulder. I whirled to come face-to-face with Octavian. "Diana, Nicholas, would you come to the praetor's table?"

We all stood up and followed Octavian to Reyna and Jason's table. Their faces were grim. "Diana, there is a very important matter we'd like to discuss with you," Jason's face was stony and hard. "You two are excused from death-ball tonight."

Suddenly, Diana's eyes turned pure gold. I mean she looked like someone had popped her eyes out of her head and put gold marbles in their place. She rasped,

"_Amissis domum pueri in ignem,_

_Vicesima legio est patrem tergo,_

_Ut quis coelo viam_

_Ne omnes deperit araneae ira_

_Proelium optime nec inmemoratus videret mortem,_

_Heros ad moriendum exstinguo frigore_

_Pretium tritici, et est vinculum,_

_Ne ista sit cassus."_

Then she slumped forward. My lightning reflexes responded, catching her and lightly patting her arm, trying to wake her up. She gasped, and her eyes turned back to their goldish brown color. "What-what happened?"

Reyna and Jason exchanged glances, and I swear Jason was thinking, _I told you so._ Then Reyna got up from the table.

Jason leaned forward. "Diana, you just recited the Prophecy of Mystery. You do realize that you are the first child mentioned?"

She rolled her eyes. "Old news."

He smiled. "Yeah, I gathered. There's an army of monsters marching to Camp from the east. They're led by…have you heard of Arachne?"

"Yeah."

"If this army gets to camp, we're doomed."

She raised her eyebrows. "Well, I can officially say I've heard everything. No kidding?" Her voice turned hard. "Dude, I have had nightmares that would make you wet your toga. I have been to hell and back every night for the last week. I've been afraid to fall asleep for _months_. Imagine being overrun by millions of spiders, crawling everywhere, biting you thousands, sending toxins into your veins that make you _hallucinate _about your worst fears."

She leaned in. "I've dreamed of this camp _burning_." She hissed. Blue sparks were running through her hair, making it float in a dark curtain around her face.

If Jason was moved by Diana's barely contained rage or her hairstyle, he didn't show it. "That means that the prophecy is for you."

Her eyes widened, and before she could turn Jason into a rat, I held out my palms. "Let's calm…"

That's when she punched me in the face. Pain flared in my eye. I fell out of my chair. Jason laughed. "So, we'll have a senate meeting about the quest, but _you_ will lead it. We'll overlook the rules about only centurions leading quests for now."

I scrambled back into my chair. I rubbed my eye and grinned. "Thanks for the black eye."

She raised an eyebrow. "So, is that some macho guy thing, thinking of black eyes as medals?"

Suddenly, a horn sounded. "Death-ball." I sighed. "I'd like to go, but we need quest briefing. But why do you want me? I'm not part of the quest!"

Jason leaned forward. "Do you want a part?"

I thought a minute, wondering what Mom would say. I imagined Jason asking her. I could almost see her boldly saying yes. But could I? "But…I'm not experienced."

Jason arched an eyebrow. "Nick, you have six stripes on your arm. You are experienced enough. Diana doesn't even have a tattoo and she's in it."

Diana grinned and punched my arm. "Come on, Nick. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I left it home." I responded.

She rolled her eyes. "After killing that _dracanae_ and the serpent? There is no one else I want by my side. Except maybe Erin."

Jason slapped the table. "No. Erin is too young."

"Too young?!" A high voice boomed. We all whirled around to see Erin storming to the table, her blue eyes blazing. Okay, what she said next originally had a whole lot of cussing, but I've edited it out. "I have survived in the _woods _for two months _alone_ with nothing but a rock, an apple, and the clothes on my back! I have almost been _killed_ by twenty seven monsters _at once_! I have trained with _Lupa_ for _five weeks_, and she said I was strong enough to join this _stupid_ camp! And you're telling me that I'm _too young_?!"

Tiny saplings started growing on the table. When we get angry, our powers tend to go crazy. "No." Jason crossed his arms. "I won't allow it."

Diana stood up. The blue sparks flew back into her hair. She leaned in really close, as before. "What was that?" I would have been a lot more scared if she yelled. If she yelled, that would mean that she was only going to yell. Sure enough, she opened her palm, and flames danced inches from Jason's face.

Okay, let's back up. I have seen Jason kill monsters that eat heroes like cereal, that haven't been bested in thousands of years. I have seen him lead armies into battle and win. Heck, I've seen him face down armies of monsters by himself. But I've never run across a demigod brave or stupid enough to threaten him and walk away alive.

Jason coughed. "Um, right. Erin, Nick, Diana, if the senate approves, you've got yourself a quest."

"Thanks." Diana whipped around and strolled out the hall. Now I can check that off my List of Impossible Things I've Seen Happen. I've also added Diana to my list of dangerous foes.


	5. Dreams and Spiders and Diana, Oh My!

**Nick: *sigh* Do I have to?  
**

**sashar360: Yes, you do.  
**

**Nick: *rolls eyes* sashar360 doesn't own PJO, HoO, or any characters Rick Riordan created. However, she does own me, Diana, and Erin. Now may I go? I need to do my part of the story.  
**

**sashar360: Fine.  
**

**IV**

Nick Calliope

My dreams that night were surprising and terrifying. First, I saw a teenage girl in a Camp Jupiter T-shirt battling a Cyclops in a dingy alley. Imagine your regular, hum-drum circus strong man. Now imagine him ten times beefier. Now put him on steroids. Now cut both his eyes out and put one in the middle of his forehead. Now give him really bad hygiene and a loincloth made out of shopping bags. That's the Cyclops. Yeah, I know. Eew.

This girl was a warrior. She climbed on the Cyclops's back and tried to stab his eye with a _gladius_. The Cyclops kept swatting her away. She just gave up and stabbed him in the top of the head. He grunted, "Ow," and turned to dust. She dusted off her clothes, and as she dusted off her shirt, I caught a glimpse of her tattoo. An owl, SPQR, and five years. But the fifth line was extra thick. That meant that she was the praetor.

Suddenly I recognized her. She was _my mother._

The scene changed. I was floating over a mountain that made my heart skip a beat. Mount Emmons, a mountain that overlooked Mountain Home, my hometown. I saw an army marching through the town where I had been raised, an army of spiders, Cyclopes, and–worst of all–centaurs. It was being led by a giant spider. But she was a woman from the waist up, wearing black armor and a bow in her hand. From the waist down, she was a black widow.

She dragged a woman out of a house. I gasped as my mom shouted, "Let me go, or the wrath of Minerva will descend on you!"

The woman-spider laughed. "Minerva's blood. It will be fun to kill you, but first…" She grabbed her by her hair. "My friend…take care of this nuisance."

A woman stepped from the chaos. She was wearing black Middle Eastern robes and a veil. When she took the veil off, she had snakes for hair. My mom…she gasped when she laid eyes on the gorgon and she turned to stone. I screamed and sat up in bed, still not entirely awake. I darted through the bunks and burst out of the barracks, gasping. Diana was sitting on the porch, her forehead on her knees, her legs hugged close to her body. She jumped when the door slammed.

I fell to my knees. _I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry._ I gritted my teeth. Diana coughed. "Um, now that you've given me a coronary, can you explain what that was about? I thought you were going to keel over."

I started laughing. The other option was crying. "Sorry. It's just-" I told her about my dream. I left out the part about my mom as a kid. That was just too creepy. When I finished, I started describing her.

My mom was a really smart lady. She spent her childhood with her nose stuck in books. Her parents drowned on a cruise ship when she was twenty. Her eyes were storm cloud gray, and her brown hair was always tucked into a bun. She's a high school Algebra teacher.

She's never raised her voice towards me, and she loved me unconditionally. When she sent me to camp, she told me I might never see her again. That caused a lot of crying and hugs.

Okay, _now_ you see why I have a lot of pictures of her.

Diana blinked. "That makes my fire story weak. Then again, I don't even know if my dad's okay."

I grinned. "Well, there's one copy of the local newspaper in camp."

Her eyes lit up. "Where is it?"

I grimaced. "Reyna has it."

She groaned. "She'll never let me see it." Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. "Gorgon's blood!"

"_What_ now?!" I demanded.

"Gorgon's blood. In myths, blood from the right side of the gorgon heals…"

"But, blood from the left kills." I finished.

"Maybe, if we steal blood from Medusa, we can save your mom."

I sighed. "_Heals_, Diana. It doesn't bring back the dead."

"Yeah, but I don't think she's dead, exactly," she mused. "I think she's more in a coma. If she's in a coma, we can bring her back out."

I turned away. "It's impossible."

She laughed. "We're in a camp of demigods. You are a son of Jupiter. I can make a _dracanae_ miss me every time it tries to strike. We kind of redefine impossible."

"True." I nodded. "There are some things you just can't do, though. It's impossible. No hero has managed that before."

"We'll just have to be the first."

Myths say that they're gone when they're frozen. It's hopeless. My mom is dead to the world. End of story. But still…it was so achingly tantalizing. I wanted to save my mom.

Diana sighed. "I see. You don't think we can."

"Well, even if we could, how are we going to get Medusa's blood? I think it'd be easier to steal her teeth."

"Okay. One: Eew." She shuddered. "Two: How did Medusa die in the myth?"

I considered carefully. My mythology is disgusting. "She was asleep."

"Exactly. All we have to do is use a sleep spell. She'll get zonked out and we can take the blood as ours! Just dribble some into your mom's mouth, and she's as good as new!"

"Um, one other problem. There's, like, an army protecting her. There is no way we could get even close."

"I'm going to bed. Night." She stood up and, as if an afterthought, put a hand on my shoulder. "We can get her free. I promise." She slipped into the door that led to the girl's bunks.

I stayed outside for a minute. Memories washed over me. Leaving Mom. The dream of her death/not death. Her eyes when she talked about Dad. Mom making cookies. Mom hugging me. Her laugh. When my mom laughed, it filled everyone around her with that warm, sticky happiness.

I whispered, "Don't make promises you can't deliver. That's my mistake." Then I stood up and slipped quietly into the bunks.


End file.
